Top five diving watch brands!

In a recent article written in the Telegraph Time Watch Review Francesca Fearon took a look at the top divers watches that the men and women you recommend for working deep underwater where the harsh pressures and unforgiving temperatures of the deep blue turn your watch from a wrist accessory to an essential and potentially lifesaving piece of kit.

Francesca’s article talked about a few different luxury brands such as Bremont, Favre-Leuba, Oris and Blancpain. Whilst we only stock one of these luxury brands she did also design a diagram showcasing “Which watches go the deepest” featuring a Breitling Superocean Heritage, Tudor Pelagos, Seiko Prospex 1978 edition, IWC Aquatimer 2000, BALL DeepQUEST, Rolex Deepsea and Sinn UX. These ranged from 200m all the way down to 5000m.

The article really got me thinking about the brands we stock and which ones really push the boundaries on deep sea exploration, we get a lot of customer that enquire about divers watches especially the maximum depth of specific timepieces so I set about scouring our site and catalogues to find the best deep diver watches that you can wear in the depths!

SEIKO WATCHES

First up on our list and a great place to start is Seiko Watches with a maximum water resistance of 200 metres it gives us a good starting point to “dive right in” from… I’m sorry I couldn’t resist.

Seiko is a brand that has come a huge way since it was first established by Kintaro Hattori in Tokyo. It began as a small clock repair shop and soon grew, making its first clock in 1895 after just eleven years of business.

The brand is still going strong today with Kintaro’s great grandson, Shinji Hattori as president, Seiko Watch Corporation is still dedicated to the perfection that the founder always strove to achieve.

The watches listed above from left to right are as follows:

1. Seiko Prospex Kinetic 200m Divers Date Display (200m) Product code: SKA759P1
2. Seiko Padi Prospex Automatic Watch (200m) Product code: SRPB99K1
3. Seiko Prospex Sea Solar Powered Chronograph Watch (200m) Product code: SSC663P1
4. Seiko Prospex Mini Sea Turtle PADI Automatic Divers (200m) Product code: SRPC41K1
5. Seiko Prospex PADI Recreation Blue Resin Strap (200m) Product code: SPB071J1

Whilst they are all only 200 metres they are still strong divers watches at even more impressive price points especially to someone who is using their watch for snorkelling on holiday or maybe a bit of coral reef diving, nothing too serious.

CITIZEN WATCHES

Citizen Watch Co Ltd was originally founded in 1930 by by a combination of both Japanese and Swiss investors, often regarded as “The Fusion of Technology and Beauty” due to their development policy which is something they upkeep at all times and is a constant motivation for everyone at Citizen. They first discovered that a watch could be powered by light in approximately 1976, this then led to the launch of the highly acclaimed Eco-Drive in 1995.

Lets take a look at the Citizen watches above from left to right:

1. Citizen Promaster Marine 1000M Eco-Drive Diver (1000m) Product code: BN7020-17E
2. Citizen Promaster Professional Diver Blue Rubber (200m) Product code: BN0151-09L
3. Citizen Mens World Time A-T Two-Tone Chronograph (200m) Product code: AT9016-56H
4. Citizen Mens Perpetual Chronograph A-T Gold-Plated (200m) Product code: AT4106-52X
5. Citizen Red Arrows A-T D9 Chronograph Eco-Drive (200m) Product code: AT8060-50E

The Citizen Promaster Marine watch is a huge competitor in the deepest dive watch category with an impressive 1000 metres water resistance and a helium release valve. This substantial piece of kit is an impressive 53mm from edge to edge and 22mm thick however it is quite lightweight for its size thanks to the use of super Titanium.

The standard water resistance for most Citizen watches is 200 metres and this is more than most people will ever need so it ensures premium water resistance when swimming, diving, snorkelling etc  however if you do find yourself in need of a deep diving watch then the Citizen  Promaster Marine is definitely one I would recommend.

RAYMOND WEIL WATCHES

Founded in 1976 in the stunning town of Geneva Raymond Weil is a Swiss luxury watchmaker,  that has been owned and ran by family company which is now managed by Olivier Bernheim and his two sons, Elie and Pierre Bernheim.

Raymond Weil is a brand that has always strives to achieve excellence in all aspects of its watchmaking, the brand uses its experience and know-how to meet the prerequisites of the much sought-after Swiss made label.

The watches listed above from left to right are as follows:

1. Raymond Weil Mens Tango Steel Silver (300m) Product code: 8160-ST-00658
2. Raymond Weil Mens Tango Grey Chronograph (300m) Product code: 8560-ST-00606
3. Raymond Weil Mens Tango 43mm  Chronograph (300m) Product code: 8560-ST2-50001
4. Raymond Weil Mens Automatic Black Dial (300m) Product code: 2760-ST1-20001
5. Raymond Weil Mens Automatic Rubber Strap (300m) Product code: 2760-SR1-20001

These five watches are 300 metres water resistant which is an impressive depth for any timepiece, I would recommend any of these Raymond Weil timepieces especially if you are looking for a luxury watch that can also be used as a dress watch or ever day to day watch and is bound to attract attention.

SINN WATCHES

Next up on the list is SINN Watches, this German watch company was born in 1961 when instructor for blind flight and former World War II pilot Helmut Sinn founded the company “Helmut Sinn Spezialuhren” in Frankfurt am Main. He set out with the main vision of being a German based business which focused primarily on the manufacture of navigation clocks and pilot chronographs.

The brand has come a huge way since then and now has Instrument chronographs, diving watches, cockpit clocks, classic timepieces and even Frankfurt financial district watch collections. The five shown above are from their diving collection and feature some strong contenders in the deepest diving watches list. Working our way from left to right these watches are as follows:

1. 1. Sinn U212 EZM 16 Mission Timer U-Boat (1000m) Product code: 212.040
   2. Sinn U1 S E U-Boat Vintage Leather V-Stitch (1000m) Product code: 1010.023
   3. Sinn EZM 3 Men’s Diving Einsatzzeitmesser Black Dial (500m) Product code: 603.010
   4. Sinn U2 SDR U-BOAT STEEL MISSION TIMER DIVER RED (2000m) Product code: 1020.040
   5. Sinn U1 U-Boat Steel 1000m Divers Black Silicone Strap (1000m) Product code: 1010.010

The clear winner in the SINN category is the U2 SDR U-BOAT STEEL MISSION TIMER which as a hugely impressive water resistance rating of 20BAR or 200 metres. Lets take a look at a few other brands and see if we can find any that manage to get to even greater depths…

ORIS WATCHES

Oris was established in 1904 and more than proud of their long history and heritage, they have been making exclusively mechanical watches for over 100 years, they are known for their timeless designs as well as the red rotor which distinguishes a true Oris timepiece.

Their watch portfolio has been broken down into four incredible collections; Diving, Culture, Aviation and Motor Sport. All of which feature truly unique mechanical timepieces that can be handed down for generations.

Lets take a ‘deep dive’ into their diving collection, working our way from left to right these watches are as follows:

1. Oris Mens Aquis Date Green Dial (300m) Product code: 01 733 7730 4157-07 5 24 10EB
2. Oris Staghorn Restoration Limited Edition Rubber Strap (300m) Product code: 01 735 7734 4185-SET RS
3. Oris Aquis Date Automatic Stainless Steel Blue Dial (300m) Product code: 01 733 7730 4135-07 8 24 05PEB
4. Oris Aquis Date Automatic (500m) Product code: 01 743 7733 4159-07 8 24 05PEB
5. Oris Aquis Prodiver 1000m Automatic Chronograph Titanium (1000m) Product code: 01 774 7727 7154-SET

Now that is an impressive list of diving timepieces, ranging from 300 metres to a staggering 1000 metres the Oris Aquis Prodiver is in fact one of the watches featured in the Times Watch Review article and one we currently stock. Another interesting feature to add is that it is also made out of titanium and includes a helium release valve.

Not to be over looked the Oris Aquis Date Automatic is a close second with an also very impressive 500 metres water resistance, both of these models are amongst our most popular Oris watches and ones that I would highly recommend to any serious diver or diving enthusiast looking to add to their collection.